







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| Wow, that's unbelievable, is it yours? | |
| I guess he wants to drink some water. | |
| Anyway, you only have 10 days left to leave that house. | |
| Oh really? That's not good. | |
| It won't change anything, but reminding me is stressing me out! | |
| I don't think so, trains leave about every 20 minutes. | |
| With gas stoves, someone can leave the gas on, it's too dangerous! | |
| Hi, is your cat okay? | |
| There is nothing under 3,000 in Angel! | |
| Mike, 250 degrees is the highest! | |
| Hey, Cate! Do you need anything? | |
| It's not a nice thing to do. | |
| I'm unleashing him now, is that okay for you? | |
| Anyway, the flight situation is a bit complicated. | |
| Because you are in it. | |
| But for how many people? | |
| So does that mean you don't want to stay with me? | |
| Well, I'm used to getting bad news today, what's that? | |
| You sound like a mix of British and Australian. | |
| You can just stay with me, until you find somewhere to live. | |